Inflatable water toy

ABSTRACT

An inflatable water toy that includes a base and a plurality of legs and that is shaped like a spider. In a first, upright position, the legs extend upward and outward so that the ends of the legs touch the water. The base for the inflatable water toy is positioned against the water, and one or more people may float on top of the base. In a second position, the inflatable water toy is turned upside down, and the tips of the legs extend upwards. Each of the legs thus forms a saddle in which a user may sit, and the base extends like a table top between the saddles provided by the legs.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related generally to inflatable products, andmore specifically to inflatable water toys.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Swimming is a recreational activity that is enjoyed by children andadults, especially in the hot summer months. People flock to pools,lakes, and rivers to pass the time on a hot summer's day.

When at or in the water, people often enjoy a variety of different pooltoys, including water games, dive toys, and inflatables, such asloungers and inflatable toys. These toys and floats provideentertainment and comfort while in the water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of theinvention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with an embodiment, an inflatable water toy is providedthat includes a base and a plurality of legs. In an embodiment, theinflatable water toy is shaped like a spider, but may have a number oflegs other than eight.

In an embodiment, the inflatable water toy includes a base to which legsattach. The legs extend upward from the base and curl in a C-shapedmanner so that they extend initially upward from the base and thendownward, almost directly opposite the initial direction of the legs.

The inflatable water toy may be used at least two different ways. In afirst position, the bottom of the base for the inflatable water toy ispositioned against the water, and the legs extend upward and curldownward so that the ends of the legs touch the water. One or morepeople may float on top of the base, or hang onto the legs. In a secondposition, the inflatable water toy is turned upside down so that the topof the base is in contact with the water, and the tips of the legsextend upwards. Each of the legs thus forms a saddle in which alightweight user may sit, and the base extends like a table top betweenthe saddles provided by the legs. The inflatable water toy may be usedin a similar manner on land, with users situated between legs and thebase serving as a table.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top side perspective view of an inflatable water toy inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top side perspective view of the inflatable water toy ofFIG. 1, with the inflatable water toy shown in water, with a couple ofusers playing with the inflatable water toy;

FIG. 3 is a bottom side perspective view of the inflatable water toy ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the inflatable water toy of FIG. 1, shownupside down and in use in a swimming pool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments of the presentinvention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specificconfigurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may beomitted or simplified to not obscure the embodiment being described.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numeralsrepresent like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows aninflatable water toy 20 in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. In the embodiment shown, the inflatable water toy 20 has theappearance of a six-legged spider, but other configurations may be used.For example, an inflatable water toy in accordance with the inventionmay have more than or less than six legs, and the legs and/or rest ofthe inflatable water toy may be shaped differently than shown in FIG. 1.

The inflatable water toy 20 includes a base 22 having a top side 24 anda bottom side 26 (best shown in FIG. 3). In the embodiment shown, thebase 22 is oval shaped, but the base may be shaped in a differentmanner, such as in a circle, a square, or another shape, whethersymmetrical or not. The top side 24 includes a central upper indentation28 (FIG. 1). Similarly, the bottom side 26 includes a central lowerindentation 30 (FIG. 3). However, the base 22 may be otherwiseconfigured and may include more than one indentation on either the topside 24 or the bottom side 26, or no indentations on either of thesesides.

Six legs 32 are attached to the base 22. Each of the legs 32 includes abase 34 attached at the top side 24 of the base 22. In the embodimentshown, the legs 32 are attached at the outer perimeter of the base 22.Each of the legs is substantially C-shaped, with the open portion of theC facing downward in FIG. 1. That is, if a plane were to extend alongthe base (i.e., horizontally in FIG. 2), the open portion of the C wouldface the plane. Thus, tips 36 of the legs 32 point downward when theinflatable water toy 20 is in the upright position shown in FIG. 1. Inthis position, the legs 32 extend upward from and above the base 34, andthen downward so that the tips 36 are positioned slightly below thebottom side 26 of the base 22. In alternate embodiments, the legs 32 maybe attached at other positions on the base 22, or may be attached to oneanother.

In an embodiment, the inflatable water toy 20 is made of a suitablematerial for a floatation device. If inflatable, the material may bepolyvinyl chloride (PVC), rubber, or another suitable material. The legs32 may be welded onto the base 22 so that they share an internalchamber. In this manner, a single valve (not shown, but known) may beused for inflation of the inflatable water toy 20. In an alternateembodiment, each of the legs 32 may be closed off from the base 22 sothat the legs are inflated separately from the base.

In an embodiment, the inflatable water toy 20 may be used in at leasttwo different ways. In a first manner of utilizing the inflatable watertoy 20, the inflatable water toy is placed right side up on water, suchas is shown in FIG. 2. In this position, the bottom 26 of the base 22rests against the top of the water, and the tips 36 of the legs 32extend down to and are in contact with the top of the water. Thebuoyancy of the legs 32 may slightly push the tips 36 upward, dependingupon the configuration of the legs relative to the base 22. As can beunderstood, because of the inflatable nature of the inflatable water toy20, there will be some flexibility in the legs 32. In addition, gravityand/or buoyancy of the legs 32 may affect the positions of the legs.

In the position shown in FIG. 2, individuals may climb up onto and layor sit on the top 26 of the base 22, as is shown by the user U in FIG.2. In addition, users may hold onto the legs 32, or may lean on the base22, as is shown by the user W in FIG. 2. The inflatable water toy 20 hasthe appearance of a spider floating on the water in this configuration.

If the inflatable water toy 20 is utilized in the position shown in FIG.3, the tips 34 extend upward, and the bottom side 26 of the base 22 isexposed. The inflatable water toy 20 is shown in this configuration onthe water in FIG. 4, with the top 26 of the base 22 of the inflatablewater toy 20 in contact with the water. In this configuration, the legs32 may have sufficient buoyancy so that the base 22 does not touch thewater. In addition, each of the legs 32 forms a saddle in that the base34 and tips 36 of the legs are positioned above the water or at highpoints in the water, and an intermediate portion of the legs ispositioned below the tips and base. A lightweight user, such as theusers Y and Z, may sit in the saddle formed by one of the legs, and thenmay utilize the base 22 as a table top or as a leaning surface.Typically, such a user would be a child, for example under 90 pounds.

The inflatable water toy 20 may also be used in the configuration ofFIG. 3 while land, such as on a beach. In such an arrangement, users mayrest in the saddle of the legs 32 or between the legs and the base 34serves as a table. The C-shaped configuration of the legs 32 spaces thebase 34 from the ground, providing an elevated table.

Other alternatives are available. As an example, the legs may be formedof a foam material, such as conventional float noodles, and/or the basemay be formed as a different material. Other floatable materials may beused, instead of inflating the base 22 and/or the legs 32.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus,while the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof isshown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that there is no intention to limit theinvention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitationon the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language inthe specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimedelement as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

1. A water toy, comprising: a buoyant base having a bottom, a topopposite the bottom, a first side, and a second side; a first pluralityof buoyant legs attached to the base at the first side, each of the legsbeing C-shaped so that, when a bottom of the base is in contact withwater, an open portion of the C for each leg faces the water; a secondplurality of buoyant legs attached to the base at the second side, eachof the legs being C-shaped so that, when a bottom of the base is incontact with water, an open portion of the C for each leg faces thewater; and a single valve for inflating the first and second pluralityof legs and the base.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The water toy of claim 1, whereinthe number of legs is six.
 4. The water toy of claim 1, wherein the baseis oval shaped.
 5. The water toy of claim 4, wherein, when the bottom ofthe base is in contact with the water, the portion of each of the legsattached to the base extends upward from the base in a direction awayfrom the water.
 6. The water toy of claim 5, wherein the legs areattached to the top of the base.
 7. The water toy of claim 1, wherein,when the bottom of the base is in contact with the water, the portion ofeach of the legs attached to the base extends upward from the base in adirection away from the water.
 8. The water toy of claim 1, wherein thelegs are attached to the top of the base.
 9. The water toy of claim 1,wherein the legs and the base are inflatable with a single valve. 10.The water toy of claim 1, wherein the legs are attached around aperimeter of the base.
 11. The water toy of claim 1, wherein one half ofthe plurality of legs extends off one side of the base, and the otherhalf extends off the other side of the base.
 12. A water toy,comprising: a buoyant inflatable base having a bottom a top opposite thebottom a first side, and a second side; a first plurality of buoyantlegs attached to the base at the first side, each of the legs beingC-shaped so that when a bottom of the base is in contact with water, anopen portion of the C for each leg faces the water; and a secondplurality of buoyant legs attached to the base at the second side, eachof the legs being C-shaped so that when a bottom of the base is incontact with water, an open portion of the C for each leg faces thewater.
 13. The water toy of claim 12, wherein the legs are inflatable.14. A water toy, comprising: a buoyant base having a bottom a topopposite the bottom, a first side, and a second side; a first pluralityof buoyant, inflatable legs attached to the base at the first side, eachof the legs being C-shaped so that when a bottom of the base is incontact with water, an open portion of the C for each leg faces thewater; and a second plurality of buoyant, inflatable legs attached tothe base at the second side, each of the legs being C-shaped so that,when a bottom of the base is in contact with water, an open portion ofthe C for each leg faces the water. 15-20. (canceled)